Not Forgotten
by Cloud413
Summary: This is the story to fill in the blanks left between Zidane's departure at the Iifa Tree to his reappearance at Alexandria castle.
1. Prelude

DISCLAIMER – Final Fantasy IX and all related characters and products are the property of Square-Enix. I don't claim to own them so I won't be blamed for anything. I hope that you enjoy this addition to the story. Please read and review!  
  
It was early in the morning; the sun had just risen over the horizon, bringing its bright rays to light the new day. The sky was clear and blue, covered only in a few places by large, billowing nimbus clouds, seeming to smile down on the lush green landscape. On a distant beach, far from any real signs of civilization, the waves rolled in, leaving their soft white froth over the pearly sands. For Mira, the day had begun like any other. She had risen early, fed her pet Chocobo, Fern, tended to her small garden, and visited her parents' grave. She lived in the now deserted and ruined village of Jero. Her family had been the city's final inhabitants and now that her parents were gone, she was alone. However, Mira never gave into despair, for ever since she was a small child, Fern had befriended her. The former inhabitants of the village had left just after Mira had been born. They had seen that there was nothing left for the small village, its isolation from the world had left it poor and broken. Although legends told of ancient friendships between mythical places like Alexandria, Madain Sari, and the village of Jero, any connection had long since ended. However, Mira's family was the last of the island's inhabitants, the village had been practically wiped out by a hurricane several years ago. Mira's mother was too sickly for there to be any hope of escaping island, not that there was any to begin with. As time went on, Mira's mother grew worse and worse, despite the constant care of her father. In time, her mother passed away and soon after, her father, both from exhaustion and sorrow, began to fade himself. Within a year of her mother's death, Mira saw her father slip slowly away until he himself died. And so before she even reached the age of 13, Mira had buried her parents in the green hills of Jero. Mira had become accustomed to living on her own, she could provide for herself and for Fern, living without cares from day to day. Mira had lived this way for nearly six years and today marked her 18th birthday.  
Over the years, the young girl had grown into a beautiful woman. Mira had shiny black hair that fell lightly over her smooth shoulders. Her simple skirt and her white shirt accentuated her trim body, helping to further radiate her beauty. Her soft cherry lips seldom concealed her shimmering smile, often displayed although no one was ever there to see it. However, it was her eyes that made her most stunning, the same eyes that her mother had. Her deep blue eyes could pierce the soul, making one feel very vulnerable and yet, very secure all in the same instant. But despite all of her beauty, she was alone, destined to be alone forever it seemed. The island paradise on which she lived was surrounded by a reef, completely inaccessible by sea, and seemly shielded by ever changing wind currents that prevented any access by air. On this, the day of her 18th birthday, Mira's life would change forever. Her decision to walk on the beach would forever alter not only her life, but the lives of many others who she did not yet know.  
Mira walked slowly, allowing the soft white sands to slip between her toes and watching the blue waves crash and roll onto the beach. She stopped for a moment to sweep up a shell from the beach. It was a conch shell and the beautiful pearly interior reflected the sunlight as she gazed into it. She held it up to her ear, listening to hear the sound of the ocean. She lowered it and laughed, realized that she wouldn't be able to hear the tiny ocean inside the shell as she stood on the real beach. She glanced out at the water once again, taking in all of the beauty. Suddenly, she saw something large fall over one of the waves. She took a few quick strides towards the ocean. She held up her hand to shield her eyes from the burning sun. Slowly, she was able to make out the figure of a boy draped over a log of some kind. She immediately acted, running out into the water and diving in when she was deep enough. Swimming was always one of Mira's favorite activities and she had gotten quite good at it. In no time at all, she had reached the boy, taken hold of him, and swum back to shore. She laid him out on the sand, checking for signs of breathing. She was at once taken with his appearance. He had a head full of straggly, dirty blonde hair that fell almost to his shoulders. A peaceful look rested on his face and he had resumed a steady breathing. His shirt had been mostly torn away and what remained looked archaic. He was trim but muscular, his strength was readily apparent by his hardened body. He had assorted scars scattered on his torso, Mira gathered that he must have been through some terrible experience. He had no serious injuries that Mira could see and except for being exhausted, he appeared in perfect health. Mira called Fern; she decided she should take him back to what remained of her village to care for him. She didn't know what she was doing; it had been years since she'd seen another person, much less a guy. Despite this, she had been brought up to always help those in need and she saw that he needed her help. Fern arrived, digging her head under the boy and tossing him onto her back. Mira mounted Fern as well and they moved swiftly towards the village. As the breeze blew past them, the boy's hair fell over his face. Mira gently brushed it back, keeping her hand on his head as she stared at the sleeping boy.  
It wasn't long until they reached the village; Mira quickly carried the boy into her hut. It had been an interesting birthday. Her life had just seen a drastic change. Even sleeping, this boy was the first human contact she had had in years. She was filled with a sense of fear, anticipation, and a feeling that she could not yet put words to. She didn't know how long he would sleep or what he'd been through. However, the one thing she did know was that when he woke up, he would probably be hungry. Mira promptly began cooking her favorite meal, hoping that he would like it as well. 


	2. Awakening

Darkness. He was floating in pure darkness. There was no sense of direction, no exit, no nothing. His mind didn't wander or do much of anything. In fact, he wasn't sure that he existed at all. "... Zidane." "Huh?" (he could only assume that the response was his own) "... Zidane." "Who's there? Can you tell me who I am? Can you tell me where I am?" From somewhere in the distance, a white light shone forth. It wasn't an overpowering light, but a soft gentle one. It seemed to speak to him. "Zidane, you promised." "Promised what? Who are you?" "Zidane, come home to me..." "Home?" "I'm waiting for you..." "Who are you?" "Wake up, Zidane." "Wake up from what?" "Wake up!" exclaimed Mira, tired of waiting for her company to awake. Zidane's eyes sprung open to see another pair of eyes only inches from his own. He lunged forward in surprise.  
  
"Woah!" shouted a girl as she toppled backwards and landed on the floor. Zidane rubbed his head. He had a tremendous headache and he couldn't remember a thing. He didn't know who he was, where he was, or where he'd come from. Zidane's eyes slowly focused. For the first time he was able to take in his surroundings. He lay in a bed on the side of a small house. There were several windows and a single door. There was a simple table and chair set in the middle of the room and off to the side, a stove warmed a pot of food. The smell of the food filled the hut and if the smell was any indication, it was delicious. The walls were clear, save for one picture of a man, a woman, and a small girl. The girl in the picture held a baby chocobo. But the most stunning feature of the room was its only other occupant, the eyes that had frightened him moments earlier. The girl stood up and brushed the dirt from her back. She was absolutely stunning. She had dazzling black hair and although she was dressed in simple clothing, her athletic figure and natural beauty shone forth. But as Zidane stared at her, his eyes focused on hers. They were the deepest blue eyes that he had ever seen. Like the darkest depths of the ocean and the bluest, brightest sky, no mere words could explain how lost he became in her eyes. After she had dusted herself off, she noticed him looking at her. For awhile they stared at each other, afraid to break the gaze for fear that the other might disappear. After awhile, she blushed and dropped her head to the side. She smiled and then looked back at him, extending her hand. "I'm Mira, it's nice to meet you," she stated softly. "I'm..." He paused, unable to recall his own name. But suddenly the voice from his dream echoed in his head 'Zidane...'. He began again, saying, "I'm Zidane". "Zidane..." she repeated. "Where are you from Zidane?" "I... I... don't know..." he stammered, rubbing his head in pain again. "Oh, I'm sorry... Don't push yourself on my account, it's just that it's been so long since I had any visitors here..." she explained. "Where is here?" he asked. "Jero. The lost village of Jero..." "Lost?" "Yeah, lost... There's no way in or out. Frankly, I don't know how you could've ended up here. Do you remember how you got here?" "No, like I said, I don't remember a thing..." he trailed off, noticing for the first time that he didn't have any clothes on. Although he was already covered up, he pulled the sheets over himself. "Your clothes are drying outside," she stated, noticing the change. "You washed up on the beach. It's a miracle you survived..."  
Zidane was silent. Survived what? Where was it that he had been and how was it that he got here? What was that dream? Where was his home and who was calling him there? Before he could think anymore, Mira had sat down on the bed next to him and placed her hand on his bare back. "I know you want to figure everything out, but it'll come back with time. And until you do, I'll be here for you," she whispered in his ear.  
He turned to look at her. They once again shared a lasting glance. Her arm remained around him and there was little distance between them. However, they seemed to be looking into each other's souls through the great glass looking glasses they called eyes. Eventually, Mira stood up. "You must be hungry. I made some of my family's special recipe!" she exclaimed. "Thank you... for everything..." he stated. "Do you have anything I could wear until my clothes finish drying?" 


	3. Worlds Apart

Mira walked over to a dusty trunk that didn't look like it had been opened for quite some time. She opened it, tossing dust into the air. Lifting up a few neatly folded sets of clothes, she retrieved a pair of pants and a shirt for Zidane. She handed them to him and then turned to attend to the cooking. She prepared two plates of food as she heard Zidane dressing behind her. She placed the plates on the table, noticing that he had already finished putting on the clothes. He came to the table and sat down. Her father's clothing fit him perfectly; he looked like a gentleman in them. They ate peacefully without saying much. Every once and awhile, she would look up and see him staring at her. She would look shyly away; she was so unused to having another person to be with. After the meal was over, they washed the dishes together. Just when they were finishing up, a loud "Kweh!" could be heard from outside the window. "Oh! Do you like chocobos Zidane?" Mira asked exictedly. "I think so..." responded Zidane. "Oh good!" she exclaimed before calling melodiously, "Fern, come here!"  
The bright yellow bird appeared in the window, sticking its head in and scanning the small lodging. Zidane was standing near the window and the chocobo immediately nuzzled up to the boy. Mira laughed as Zidane petted the bird. "Wow! She's never warmed up to anyone or anything before. You really must be something special. This is Fern, my chocobo, by the way," explained Mira. "Do you want to go for a ride?" "Yeah!" Zidane excitedly responded.  
They walked out the door to be greeted by the ecstatic chocobo. "You first," said Mira. Zidane hoped easily onto the chocobo's back. Mira climbed on behind him. Fern took off running, gleefully darting along the island's beautiful landscape. As the chocobo ran, Mira wrapped her arms fully around Zidane's waist, hugging him tightly and laying her head against his back. He grasped her arms in his and they rode together around the island. The sun was setting over the lone mountain, if you could call it that, on the island. Bright reds, oranges, and yellows streaked across the sky, painting a truly beautiful picture with the shimmering blue water below it. On the island of Jero, all was well.  
However, many miles away, halfway across the world, the queen of Alexandria was in turmoil. It had been nearly a week since they had left that dreadful place, yet still her love had not returned. To her citizens, she never let on that anything was wrong; she was the head of state and had to always be the constant force of balance in the lives of the people. She had already dispatched a search to sweep the area around the Iifa Tree. She was certain that they would have something to report. Zidane was too strong and stubborn to be done in by a tree; they had gone through too much just to fail now. A knock at the door preceded the entrance of the great female soldier and Garnet's aide Beatrix. "Your Majesty," stated Beatrix, thrusting her arm across her chest in salute. "Please, you know I don't like all the formalities..." responded Garnet. "Yes ma'am, I'm sorry. I have come to report on the search of the Iifa Tree," she replied. "Yes?" asked Garnet, struggling to restrain herself. "I'm afraid that... that Lord Zidane was nowhere to be found... All that we found were these," stated Beatrix sadly, passing over Zidane's favorite set of daggers, most of his shirt, and a very old world map. "I see..." replied Garnet, placing the objects on a table. As Garnet began to think of Zidane, to wonder what happened to him, to question if he still lived, her legs gave out and she fell to the floor in tears. She kneeled facedown and sobbed. Beatrix dropped to her knees and held the girl close to her. "Just because you're queen doesn't mean that you can't feel. Let it all out..." Beatrix coaxed softly. When Garnet had cried for quite some time, both women stood. Beatrix saluted once again, stating very officially, "We will continue the search, Majesty." "General Beatrix..." Garnet stated softly as the woman left. "Yes ma'am?" "Thank you," stated Garnet passionately.  
Beatrix exited the room and Garnet walked to the window holding Zidane's possessions. She looked at the daggers as they caught the last of the setting sun. She didn't know what it was, but in that moment she was certain that somewhere out there, Zidane was alive and well. She would find him no matter what the cost. But she needed a plan first. She planned to go and see Dr. Tot first thing the next morning. He would know what to do like he always did. Garnet held up the dagger and let it flash one last time before the sun fell below the horizon. "Zidane, you promised... Come home to me!" 


End file.
